The present invention is directed toward an external trigger blocking device to be used generally in conjunction with a bolt-action rifle and in particular, a Mosin-Nagant rifle and other firearms with similar trigger mechanisms.
The Mosin-Nagant rifle is a military rifle that was used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various Eastern bloc nations from 1891 until the 1960's. The rifle was particularly prevalent in World War II when the Mosin-Nagant was the standard issue weapon to the Soviet troops. It is estimated that by the end of the war, approximately 17.4 million M 91/30 Mosin-Nagant rifles had been produced. Even though production of the Mosin-Nagant rifle ceased in the 1960s, the rifle is still used in many military conflicts due to its ruggedness and widespread availability.
In recent years, the Mosin-Nagant has become a popular hunting rifle, particularly in the United States. The rifle is relatively inexpensive, very sturdy, reliable and military accurate. Readily available models include the Russian Mosin-Nagant M91/30; M38; M44 and the Finish M39, which is considered to be one of the finest and most accurate military rifles ever produced. However, the safety (or safety catch) on the Mosin-Nagant rifle is extremely hard to operate and represents a major shortcoming for its use as a hunting rifle. The safety consists of a knob at the back of the bolt which must be pulled back and turned to one side to lock the firing pin, reversing the process to release it. The safety requires a great deal of hand strength to operate and is inherently clumsy and slow which often results in the game moving on before the hunter has the chance to shoot. Thus, the user of the rifle may be tempted to leave the safety off so that the rifle is ready for immediate use, a situation that causes obvious safety concerns as the rifle may accidentally discharge.
Another example of a military rifle that has a safety that is somewhat difficult to operate is the Karabiner Model 1931, also known as the K31 or Schmidt-Ruben rifle. The K31 is a magazine-fed, straight-pull bolt action rifle that was the standard issue rifle of the Swiss armed forces from 1933 until 1958, although some remained in service into the 1970s. Although the majority of K31 rifles were used during World War II, most of the rifles which are now readily available from military surplus vendors are ones used in military training courses throughout the late 1970s. K31s are known for their amazing accuracy and quality having tight tolerances and excellent overall craftsmanship.
The safety on the K31 consists of a rather large ring on the rear of the bolt that must be pulled and rotated 45 degrees to the right to prevent the rifle from firing, yet at the same time still allow the bolt to operate normally. Rotating the ring 90 degrees to the right and dropping it into a slot will lock up the bolt solidly and prevent firing. To fire the rifle, one must pull back on the ring and rotate it to the left to allow it to return to the firing position. This again is inherently clumsy and somewhat slow which may result in the game moving on before the hunter has the chance to shoot. A temptation to leave the safety off is thus created, a situation that causes obvious safety concerns as the rifle may accidentally discharge.
As demonstrated by these two examples, there is accordingly a need for an easily operable device that can be used to block the firing of the firearm while the safety is disengaged until moments before a shot is taken.
Prior trigger safety devices known in the art have been unsatisfactory for this purpose because they were not quickly or easily operable or may be inadvertently shifted to the non-firing position. Still other trigger safety devices are fairly easy to operate but need to be internally installed or externally mounted on the firearm thus requiring costly alterations by a skilled gunsmith. Finally other prior art trigger safety devices are not suited for the type of trigger utilized in the Mosin-Nagant rifle or firearms with similar trigger mechanisms where the trigger blade is housed within the body of the rifle.
In view of the disadvantages to the devices known in the art, there is a need for a relatively simple and easily operable trigger block that can be removably affixed to the trigger guard without the need to make alterations to the firearm.